Western media are actively discussing the seizure of the Anglo-French cruise missile "Storm Shadow" (Storm Shadow, or "Storm Shadow") by the Russian Armed Forces. The fact of hitting the European product is confirmed by video recordings published since July 5, 2023. It is emphasized that the missile fell into the hands of the Russian military "mostly intact."
As you know, the first air-launched cruise missiles (KR) "Storm Sheds" were handed over to Ukraine by the United Kingdom in May 2023. The weapons are integrated into the fleet of Soviet-made Su-24M strike fighters, which, theoretically, allows them to hit targets much deeper in the rear of Russian troops. In the West, this type of subsonic missiles is valued for its stealth capabilities, accurate satellite guidance and precision strike, as well as for the extensive use of components and technologies from the United States.
KR "Storm Sheds" under the wings of the Su-24M APU
A number of European NATO member states rely on the missile for air strikes, as evidenced by a significant proportion of the use of Storm Sheds in Syria in 2018. It was reported that in Syria, Russia used its electronic warfare (EW) capabilities to destroy American Tomahawk missiles, which were subsequently sent to Russia for study.
The capture of the Storm Sheds, according to analysts, will provide additional opportunities for studying Western cruise technologies and developing appropriate countermeasures. It is believed that the information received will be extremely useful not only for Russia, but also for some of its security partners, such as China, North Korea, Belarus and Algeria, who similarly perceive threats of potential attacks from European states. Since, according to assumptions, electronic warfare was also used to destroy the captured missile, the methods used are likely to be studied in detail.
According to the Russian state media, on July 7, "Storm Sheds" was handed over to specialists for examination. The head of the military-technical center "Tsarskie Volki" Dmitry Rogozin said about the seizure: "I am glad that our division did it. Now our air defense will knock this thing down, and it will gradually become useless… Our technical specialists disassembled the missile into several parts right on the battlefield, the high-explosive and cumulative parts separately and the control unit separately, while the wing was folded for ease of transportation."
Storm Shadow on board an RAF Typhoon aircraft before a series of strikes on Syria
He added that although it took two days to remove the missile, this process was especially dangerous because "there was a functioning GPS tracker that could direct an enemy strike group. Despite the fact that we blocked it, our fighters had to constantly move and even participate in the battle — the enemy's sabotage and reconnaissance unit tried to intercept a car with a missile and an accompanying car on the road." D. Rogozin's words indicate that the enemy took concrete measures to prevent the transportation of the missile to Russia. According to Western sources, forces were involved in the return of the KR, which included "significant contingents of British active personnel and military volunteers."
It is reported that the Storm Sheds was developed with an emphasis on long ranges of destruction, which is especially critical for European countries experiencing a shortage of fifth-generation fighters with stealth capabilities. Otherwise, when hitting a well-protected target at close range, old fourth-generation aircraft, such as the Eurofighter or Su-24M, become very vulnerable. For navigation, the rocket uses GPS/INS and terrain reference. At the final stages of the flight, it relies on a high-resolution infrared homing device with automatic target recognition.
"Storm Sheds" are used not only in aviation, but also to equip warships, as a variant of the MdCN naval missile system (Missile De Croisière Naval), which the French Navy used to attack Syrian government forces in 2018. According to Western experts, the Russian Armed Forces have also deployed air-launched cruise missiles with unobtrusive capabilities: in particular, the X-101 and X-59MK2.
According to the materials of the resource militarywatchmagazine.com
